(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has claimed he is unable to make a declaration that the Shia Islamic sect is not heretical in order to prevent future attacks against the community in Sampang, East Java, and elsewhere.
According to Suryadharma, neither he, nor any other government official, was in a position to make such a judgment about any religious minority group.
"I don't have the authority to judge whether or not the Shiites are heretical, or a certain food is halal or not. We need a comprehensive understanding before making a judgment about such things, because differences in faith, which may or may not be heresy, will keep growing," Suryadharma told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs.
In regard to solving the problem suffered by the Shia community in Sampang, Suryadharma said that his ministry would hold a dialogue to bring all parties to the conflict in the area sit together to talk about their differences.
"Many things can happen after a dialogue," he said, citing the conversion of Ahmadiyah followers in Banten to 'true' Islam an example.
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According to Suryadharma, neither he, nor any other government official, was in a position to make such a judgment about any religious minority group.
"I don't have the authority to judge whether or not the Shiites are heretical, or a certain food is halal or not. We need a comprehensive understanding before making a judgment about such things, because differences in faith, which may or may not be heresy, will keep growing," Suryadharma told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs.
In regard to solving the problem suffered by the Shia community in Sampang, Suryadharma said that his ministry would hold a dialogue to bring all parties to the conflict in the area sit together to talk about their differences.
"Many things can happen after a dialogue," he said, citing the conversion of Ahmadiyah followers in Banten to 'true' Islam an example.
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